Indoor Racing - Racing Across America

1/12Kevin Swindell picked up the victory in the Friday night action of the Mason-Dixon Dixieland Challenge.

In most parts of the country, you can't enjoy certain outdoor activities all year long. Fishermen will adapt by cutting holes in the ice surface to get to their prizes. Some racers will retreat to indoor radio-controlled events or, in some cases, slot cars, if they have made a resurgence in your area. Some racers are fortunate enough to keep the real thing going, even when the temperature dips below the spot where outdoor spectating is insane.

Indoor racing is as much a part of the sport as its outdoor counterpart, but it is truly more seasonal. You'll generally only find the indoor racing in the months of December and January. It's only natural. After all, other outdoor sports such as baseball and football have retreated inside domed stadia for decades.

At the end of 2005, there were a couple of scheduled indoor events in Michigan and Indiana. Of course, there's the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which has been going on for 20 years, but that one will be covered later.

Photographer Todd Ridgeway gets plenty of action during the warm months, but his restless racing spirit doesn't allow him to miss much. When he had the opportunity to load up his camera gear and take in some December racing, he did.